Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-12-08
A SHOTA AND A THRUST.
A Story of the Rebellion by an Ex-Confederate

A Story of the Rebellion by an Ex-Confederate
Soldier.
When we came to throw out pickets in
front of our lines on the night after
dealing the federal array the hard blow
at second Manassas, we were right among
the dead and wounded. We had won a
victory, and the bulk of the federal army
was making for the Potomac, but there
was rear guard which fought sullenly,
and with thirst for Vengeance, and along
the front of my division the blue coats
were alert and ready for any night
attack. 1t was about 8 o'clock in the
evening when my company was pushed
out, and to get the place assigned us we
had to crawl on our hands and knees for
the last two hundred feet. When I finally
got settled in place it was at the base of
a shade or fruit tree standing alone in
an open field. A ball or shell had struck
the trunk of the tree and cut it In two
and portion of the top lay on the ground
The federal picket as | presently ascer-
tanned, was about fifty steps distant
from me, and had the cover of heap of
rails. | did not locate him until be fred
upon me. I do not think he knew of NV
presence, but rather mistrusted it and
blazed away to draw me out.
There were dead and wounded all
about the tree. / had crept over two
dead bodies, and two wounded men had
begged me for water, aud although the
evening was very dusky, 1 counte at least
ten bodies on my side of the tree. I had
come out with a full canteen, knowing
that the front was covered with wounded
Close to me on my right, was federaI
corporal, belonging to New York regi-
ment. He told me at the time the num-
Der of his regiment, but made NO note
of it. He was shot in the right leg, mid
way between the hip and the knee. This
happened two hours before dark, and
considerably nearer our liues, and he had
managed to crawl twenty RODS TO get the
shelter of The tree. 1t was only flesh
wound, and could he have been taken into
the lines that night he would have been
fit for duty in thirty days. Some men
would have walked off with such hurt as
that, but the poor fellow seemed knocked
all to pieces and had quite lost his ceur-
age. l was holding the canteen to his
lips, having raised his head and put
haversack under it, when the federal
picket fired the shot. The bullet crushed
into the head Of the wounded man, and
with sort of culver he fell back
dead.
The incident upset me consider ably,
and being under orders not to fire shot
unless the enemy were advancing, hug
ged the ground at the foot of the tree
and remained quiet. Two more shots
we're fired at me, but they were aimed too
high and went over. ] had been on duty
aboat an hour, when the pleadings of a
wounded man about fifty feet to my left
for water determined me TO saccor him.
He knew of my presence and talked
directly to me, saying that ne was shot
in both legs and had been lying there
seven or eight hours. 1 left my gun on
the ground and started off on my hands
and knees. The corpse of federal lay
directly in my way, and I was just max.
ing half circle around it, when the sup
posed dead man scrambled up, seized his
musket, which lay beside him, and wnirl-
ed on me with a sort of scream. You see
it all came so suddenly that I was con-
fused, and when he came at me [ was
still on my hands and knees and helpless
He held the gun at charge bayonet," and
made an awful lunge at ne. The point
of the bayonet passed through the back
of my blouse, and the lupge pushed me-
over, and the steel went into the ground
almost to the muzzle of the gun. / was
thus pinn to the earth, and the man let
go OF the musket and fell across me
uttering groan of pain as he came
down.
My position was such that could not
free myself for two or three minutes and
when I did the man was dead for sure.
Ee had probably been unconscious for a
long time before the frenzy of death
caused him to attack nae in the singular
manner he did. So firmly was I pinned
to the earth that had to 'sskin'' out of
my blouse to get free, and it took a stout
twist at the butt of the musket to pull the
bayonet out of the hard baked soil.